In light of recent events regarding the earthquake in Nepal (I offer my sincerest condolences to the departed there and a prayer of safety and recovery for the survivors), I have begun to hear many saying that we here in the Philippines should start considering our moral stance lest we become next. Then, much to my outrage, I have heard those who outright say that the people of Nepal deserve their fate for not accepting the Words of Jesus, as they are not a Christian country like we allegedly are. Ladies and gentlemen, I have never heard a more pretentious or arrogant statement in my life.
Look, before all else, let’s make things clear. I was raised Catholic and I am still currently practicing my religion and I take it very seriously, thank you very much. However, despite this, I would like to call out a lot of my fellow Catholics on their own activities as well as many of those who call themselves “Christians” who are anything but when it comes to their actions. Yes, anyone can claim to be a “Christian” or a “Catholic”, but it is a completely different matter to be one. I have always believed that one’s religion should be a lifestyle, not something to put down other people or something to bash those you don’t agree with.
We use our Christianity as a status symbol…
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I think that Jesus’ teachings are things that we should take to heart, definitely. Unfortunately, there are so many of us who get the wrong meaning of what it means to be a Christian. Of course, I am no expert in the matter, I can at least admit that much and that I probably wouldn’t qualify as what the Bible would call a “good man”. However, with so many typical Pinoys clamoring that we are “the only Christian country in Far East Asia” and that we are “special” in the eyes of God, I can only imagine how Jesus himself would react if he saw us as we are today.
I can attest that for a lot of Filipinos, being called a “Christian” is simply a status symbol and nothing more. After all, it feels good to be associated with the world’s greatest martyr (and if you’re a fellow Christian, a literal man-god). Unfortunately, that’s as far as most “Christians” in the Philippines are willing to go.
Note for example that Churches are only crowded during Christmas or Easter and are rarely filled to capacity on ordinary Sundays. The Aquinos, especially Kris, are often seen on TV as going to church but one can probably attest that the Aquinos aren’t exactly good examples of what Christians should be and then, once outside the church, they bash their detractors with abandon and go back to being the self-centered lot they’ve always been. It is stated in the Bible that one should avoid praying loudly in public and do so solemnly and in relative silence but there are so many like Dionisia Pacquiao who like to show off their religiosity on live TV even when the Bible states that we should pray with a sense of humility
Our “Christianity” has clearly pagan roots…
Okay, I know a lot of you probably won’t agree with me here but much of our allegedly “Christian” beliefs here in the Philippines are pagan in origin.
For instance, let’s start with graven images. It is made quite clear in the Bible that God does not like the idea of worshiping “false gods”. Again, I’m sure some of you here will make up the excuse that having your religious icons is like having a visual aid or a picture of someone you cherish. If that’s the case, then explain to me your Black Nazarene which so many of our countrymen have died for. Like an orgy of destruction, people rush this idol in a stampede, crushing any and all who are unfortunate enough to be caught in their path.
Then there’s our acts of penitence during Holy Week that looks to me more like a pagan ritual than something that Christ Himself would endorse. Flogging oneself doesn’t necessarily make one sinless if they aren’t sincere about changing their ways. If anything, I can bet that most of these so-called “penitents” only do what they do to make themselves look “cool” in front of others, especially tourists.
You want me to be perfectly honest?
Calling these activities “pagan” is the nicest way I can call them. Because if you want my honest opinion, I would outright call it demonic or Satanic. Jesus has always emphasized the value in human life above religious dogma and I’m probably right that numerous people have died trying to reach the Black Nazarene or during the “penitence” activities that are all too prevalent on Holy Week.
We are hypocrites…
I’ve already gained a sizeable number of detractors so I guess there’s really no helping it now…
Note how we always try to whitewash ourselves when criticized by foreigners. Note how so many of us insist that our country is a good, clean country when our cities are rife with pollution, poverty and crime. Note how so many politicians and celebrities wanting to be politicians insist that they are honest when our very political system is founded on lies.
So there you go. The only Christian country in Far East Asia, eh? Also, the one can the country where Maria Ozawa or Fifty Shades of Gray are insanely popular. Note how all our teleseryes are centered around illicit relationships and dysfunctional families. See also how the church openly tolerates immorality of all kinds while trying to discourage foreign media which they outright demonize even though some video games (like Age of Wonders for instance) have more values to teach people than your typical teleserye.
So no, before any of you start gloating about how we are the only Christian country here in East Asia, let me remind you about Yolanda and the many who perished in her wake. Let me tell you that many Yolanda survivors are still struggling to get their lives back together thanks to a government that refuses to spend even a cent on them unless their self-interests are sated.
So many countries came to help us during the Yolanda crisis so I think that we should also return the favor and see what we can do to help our Nepalese brothers and sisters, not sit around gloating about our superiority as Christians.
And if you really want to know what it means to be a good Christian, please turn off your TV and read your Bible!
I HAVE RETURNED TO LAY WASTE TO OUR ENEMIES!
Read this.
Roman Catholicism is a ‘fake’ Christianity. It’s actually fusing Christianity with ancient pagan Meditteranean mythology. Its doctrines are actually opposing the bible. What Catholicism teaches is being Christian by doctrine only, praying to human saints as if they’re genies, spending large amounts of money to idolatrous fiestas and bragging their riches to the masses, and forbiding clergymen to marry while prohibiting divorce to people experiencing severe maltreatment at the hands of their spouses. The worse is, she teaches its adherents that this is the only true church making it no more different than various Protestant sects. Sadly, Catholic doctrines don’t teach people to self-reflect on their mistakes; instead, self-righteousness, hypocrisy, and fatalism.
The painful truth is that RCC (Roman Catholic church) is actually the extension of the Roman empire, the prime enemy of Christianity. RCC is not the original Christian church. The original Christian church has been destroyed and divided among early Christians with diverging beliefs only to be united by Roman emperors by syncreting Roman mythology with Christianity to make that attractive to pagans. And the rest is history. From the Crusades to Inquisitions, RCC has the fangs of the original Roman empire that any person opposed to her shall be put to death. Northern Europe has successfully broke from her by establishing Protestantism and humanities and modern sciences; France, though remained Catholic, opened her mind and heart to Northern European influences of education and escaped the snare of the Papacy and became one of the most advanced nations in Europe, and of the world. The rest of the Latin World (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Latin America, and the Philippines) remained under the large influence of the Papacy that these remained poor and chaotic in case of LatAm and PH, and Latin Europe, even developed, are bombarded with illegal aliens and economic recession. Maybe poverty in the Latin world is caused by the self-righteousness of the devout Catholics who refused to open their hearts and minds to the world by practicing the real essence of Christianity: humility, love, and service; instead, they possess the very traits of the pagan Roman people in atiquity: barbarism, familism, self-righteousness, pride, wrath, and envy, that’s the reason we swim in our own mud.
To the self-righteous Catholics who bully non Christians who experienced disasters, instead of bragging your religion, help them survive by showing the true traits of Christianity. If not, keep quiet and don’t show to the world how hypocrite you are because you’re like gold rings in pigs’ snouts and you’re no more different from Islamic fundamentalists, self-righteous and evil.
Is Philippine Christianity something to be proud of? The big answer is NO! Shut up hypocritic devout ‘Christians!’
Christianity is something nobody asked for; it was imposed on us by the Spanish.
To understand Philippine Christianity, consider how it was in the very beginning. It was a tool to subjugate the ignorant savages. It was very political before the idea of separation of church and state prevailed.
It wasn’t well understood by the Filipinos themselves since they didn’t speak Spanish, much less Latin. Hence, superstitious beliefs filled in the gaps of their understanding.
Our history, our baggage. We’re stuck with a form of Christianity that subjugates (discourages critical thinking), is political (encourages submission to “authorities” moral or political) and is poorly understood (superstitions and abuse of religion to justify evil/hypocrisy) by the believers themselves.
Make a blog about circumsission as well. I think this practice of sexual mutilation have the same source as religion but I cannot be sure.
being more agnostic than atheist(was raised a catholic) I think of “traditional slavery” to describe the catholic faith( or any religion for that matter that is as much demanding as catholic Christianity).
I think there are enough incentives to be polite or “good” to your choice of neighbor, and hypocrites tend to be loud.
Philippine Christianity: Is it something to be proud of?
Dear Thaddeus,
Can you pls enlighten me (and us) how you come about to be a christian in your daily life?
You wake up: how do you do that as christian?
You take your shower: how do you do that as christian?
You take your breakfast: how do you do that as christian?
You go to work: how do you do that as christian?
You do your job: how do you do that as christian?
You go back home: how do you do that as christian?
You buy your groceries, prepare & cook/bake/boil dinner and eat dinner: how do you do that as christian?
You go to sleep: how do you do that as christian?
You spend time on your hobbies and mingle with your friends: how do you do that as christian?
You have sex with your partner: how do you do that as christian?
Bottomline / end of the day: all of the above are done in the same way being an atheist. Only atheists dont pray (at best they will keep their fingers crossed; but that wont help either), atheists dont have a book (bible) and atheists dont go to a building every saturday or sunday (church).
My pinay partner always used to tell me this: If and when a pinay has to choose between rice and religion, she will always choose for the rice. (For your information: the rice is a metaphor)
Look, before all else, let’s make things clear. I was raised an atheist and I am still currently practicing my atheism and I take it very seriously, thank you very much. (and this is not a joke)
The Myopia of Pinoy Christians just pisses me off.
I mean, regardless of religion, why would you want a disaster to befall someone else? I mean really?
The insensitivity of a bunch of Pinoy idiots who think that the Nepalese deserve what happened to them is one of the worst things I’ve ever heard. I am utterly disgusted!
Grimwald you remind me of someone who wished in no uncertain terms and over the air lanes, that the typhoon Yolanda diverts itself to Japan! Would you also classify her a hypocrite as well the guy she sleeps with being husband and wife,hypocrites? What sayeth?
Oh that woman…
Hmm…
Based on what my apprentice has to say about it, the woman had a very interesting sex life. However, her sex life seems to have nothing to do with her husband.
The Church in the Philippines played a major role in deforming the culture, making the Philippines much like medieval Europe.
In fact even many Filipino intellectuals act like Church representatives in talking down to the ignorant instead of schoolin them:
http://filipinogerman.blogsport.eu/arrogance-and-ignorance-in-the-philippines-siamese-twins/
delete, much like medieval Europe.
insert, MENTAL
Well knowledge is mental wealth, and striving for it is just like striving for material wealth. Both are not really something that are encouraged in the Philippines – what you have is “God-given”.
Although I have found that striving for too much mental and material wealth too fast is detrimental to both mental and material health. So just like in Apo Hiking Societies spoof on Makoy, I prefer hidden health to hidden wealth.
You are yawning? Need an espresso? I can make you one from my Lavazza machine.
Peru, a Christian country was hit, by the same intensity of Earthquake, a few years ago. The Philippines was hit by Mt. Pinatubo , volcanic eruption, some years ago.
Mother Nature does not discriminate, on the basis of religious affiliation or religious belief. This Planet Earth is turning and turning…and there are many factors, we still don’t know what cause these natural phenomena.
Dapat kasi may namatay na Pinoy na ‘Christian’ sa Nepal para na iba ang topic… heh heh
I think we should not blow it up too much unless that’s how the majority think. Pinoy Christians who think that way are outlyers. In fact, the word Christianity in the article can be substituted by all other religions too if care and research is done.
personal beliefs and pride should not even exist in the same sentence. it’s a personal thing. it’s like going around saying how proud you are that the color blue is your favorite in the entire spectrum. proud christian, proud atheist, proud agnostic, proud muslim, proud jew, proud aglipayan, proud dating daan, etc…all the same chest thumping look at me im better than you BS.
You’ll love this comic I made then. I made it during the Pope’s visit when all the Pinoy dignitaries were stumbling over themselves trying to present their cleanest, most shitless ass-cheek.
Goddamn hypocrites.
http://i.imgur.com/ga3etSA.jpg?1
Good one there…
You are Christian because you were raised that way. If Filipino history had gone a different way, you would be just as confident in your Islamic or Buddhist beliefs. I just hope you realise that.
People vary depending on what it means for them to be a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist… It is said that faith and philosophy is a way of life. Some separate their faith from the way they live so there’s your result, people does something different from the true nature of their religion or faith.
Any person proud and willing to kill for religion is an asshole. And every person force feeding their religion to the younger generations are the equivalent of stupid tyrants and scumbags.
Like hanging the rosary on the rear view mirror. It’s not a charm.
If Christ were here there is one thing he would not be — a Christian.
even if the Philippines is the only atheist country in SE Asia or in the entire universe, so what?
it doesn’t prevent it nor the holy pope from going to the bathroom and take a poop.
The majority of the hypocrites and stone-hearted people are usually found in the church every sundays.
HEY! Excuse me?
Oh wait. I go on Saturdays. Never mind. Forget I said anything.
Sunday is the day of rest for Christians, to ask for blessings and forgiveness and give praise, on their quest for the same worldly advantages that non-Christians seek.
Religion keeps the groups in hostile camps. Without it, divisions would blur with passing generations; children would adapt to new times, mingle, intermarry, forget ancient wounds. But religion keeps them alien to one another.
Anything that divides people breeds inhumanity. Religion serves that ugly purpose.
Tru Dat.
Have you not just done the same thing you moaning that they did. Are you not called to pray for them as being a “Christian” yourself. Repent.
You are with satan, not philippinos. You hate your own country because devil is in your body. Seek help or you will burn for ever.